


Smashing every expectation

by Haki_i



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alexander Hamilton is George Washington's Adopted Son, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, George Washington is a Dad, Henry Laurens Being an Asshole, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting, Homophobic Henry Laurens, It gets better I promise, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, a good dad, unlike Henry Laurens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28219446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haki_i/pseuds/Haki_i
Summary: When 14 year old Alexander Hamilton's mother dies in a car accident, he must make a new family where he can.
Relationships: Aaron Burr/Theodosia Prevost Burr, Alexander Hamilton & George Washington, Alexander Hamilton & Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton & John Laurens & Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette & Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, George Washington/Martha Washington
Comments: 18
Kudos: 66





	1. Alexander Hamilton

Alexander sat on a blue plastic chair in a waiting room, unable to sit still in the tense atmosphere that almost all hospitals possessed.

He lay his head backwards onto the wall, looking up to the ceiling with unblinking eyes. His breaths were shaky, and his eyes slightly wet. He was muttering something under his breath, trying to make sense of the situation he had landed himself in.

"Alexander Hamilton?" A feminine voice called out. It belonged to a tall, young women.

The teen stood up, retying his hair into the messy ponytail it had fallen out of. 

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Can you come here a minute?"

Alexander stood up and followed the woman to a small conference room off to the side. The lady gestured for him to sit down. She sat opposite him, and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could utter a word, she was interrupted by Alexander.

"They're dead, aren't they?"

The woman nodded. 

"They were your mother and brother, weren't they?"

Alexander nodded. He could still hear the person who called him, telling him to come to the hospital as soon as possible, that his mother and brother had been in a car accident.

"Anyway, Alexander - or would you like me to call you Alex?"

Alexander shrugged, he could literally not care less what he was called.

"Well, my name is Julia Denis, and I'm here to help you figure out what's happening now. Your records say your dad's not in the picture?"

"No, he stormed out a few years ago." Alexander stated, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed.

"And any cousins? Grandparents?"

"My father cut contact with his family, and I'm pretty sure most of my mother's side is dead." Alex deadpanned.

"I see. Well, we'll have to find you a suitable guardian, since you're only fourteen."

Alexander nodded, he expected something like this would happen. It hadn't quite set in that his mother and brother just died, but it probably would soon.

"You'd probably have to go to a... At risk youth center-"

"An orphanage." Hamilton interrupted.

"Well, yes. But it's not that bad."

Alexander lay his arms and head on the table - it had been a long day - and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Look, I know you think you're all tough and that, but I'm here when you need help, okay?"

"I'm just tired, its been a strange day." Alex said, annoyance evident in his voice.

"I understand that, and I'm sorry for your loss." She reached out for Alex's hand, trying to be comforting, but Alexander flinched away. He slammed his hands down onto the table, abruptly standing up.

"I don't need your pity! Besides, you're probably only saying that because it's your job."

"I mean it, Alex, you're a smart kid, don't let this ruin you."

Alexander loosened, as he slowly sat back down.

"What am I going to do?" He asked, looking as helpless as he felt.

"How about I take you to a the "at risk youth center-"

"Orphanage."

"That I was talking about." She glared at Alexander for interrupting, but soon softened upon remembering what had just happened to the boy's mother and brother.

Alexander stood up, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

The blaring of a phone ringtone blared from Julia's pocket.

"Sorry, I gotta take this,"

While she talked on the phone, Alex looked down at the floor, very interested in his feet. After his dad left two years ago, his mother's health had been declining, so he wasn't so surprised she was dead. She just didn't die the way he was expecting.

"Okay Alex, change of plan. You're spending the night at a temporary group home until we find you a more permanent house."

The pair walked out of the hospital in silence, and got into a small black car. After Jane's many failed attempts of trying to get Alexander to talk about himself, she finally gave up and drove in silence.

Jane knocked on the door, before turning to Alex. 

"You can always come to me if you need anything, even after we find you permanent housing. Here's my number." 

She handed him a small slip of paper, before pushing him inside.

"Mr and Mrs Findley will take care of you. There are a lot of other children here, but most of them are younger than you, anyway, I've gotta go." 

She gave an awkward wave, and left Alexander standing in the doorway of his new home.

He knocked on the door. It opened to a small lady, whom Alex assumed was Mrs Findley.

Later that night, Hamilton sat on his new bed. Despite the late hour, he was wide awake. 

What would have happened if the car accident hadn't happened? His mother would still be alive, but for how long? With her rapidly declining health, it would the long until she was six feet under. 

The illness that plagues his mother could have been prevented, but they couldn't afford medicine when living in the Caribbean, and once they moved to America, it was too far gone to fix without a trunk full of cash, which they didn't have.

As Alexander sat on the small, twin bed he'd been given, he allowed himself to cry for the first time since his dad left.


	2. Aaron burr, sir

It was almost a week ago when Alexander arrived at his temporary home. The people there were nice, but it was extremely busy, so he tried to spend as little time there as possible.

He was walking in a nearby park, trying to find a quiet place to read. He came across a bridge. 

The bridge looked like it came out of a fairytale; it's stone bricks were webbed with lime green moss, and the water running beneath it was as clear as the finest crystal. There was a space underneath the bridge, where some sand lay. 

Alexander went under the bridge, having to duck his head so he didn't get a concussion. He sat below the crossover, and pulled out his book.

It was nice to have peace after being in that home for almost a week, being badgered nonstop by by younger children. He didn't blame them, it was just too much sometimes.

His peace was interrupted by another coming underneath the bridge.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you under here." The kid said. He was also holding a book.

"I came down here for some peace, sorry, did I steal your spot?" Alexander asked, slightly nervous. This was the first person his age whom he'd met.

"It's fine. I come down here for some quiet as well. I've not seen you around before, are you new?" 

"Yeah, I only came like, a week ago. I'm Alex, by the way, Alexander Hamilton."

Alex reached out his hand to shake the other boys, which he happily shook.

"I'm Aaron Burr. Why'd you move here, if you don't mind me asking?" 

"Oh, umm. I'm living in a temporary home here."

"The Findley's?"

"How'd you know?"

"Tonnes of people have lived there. They're pretty famous round here."

"Oh." Alexander rubbed his neck, cheeks flushing. He didn't really know how to do this talking stuff.

The awkward silence was broken by a yell, and a splash.

"Oh my god Hercules, you actually did it?" A voice called from the bridge they were under. A boy emerged from the surface of the water. 

"Of course I did!" He called out, oblivious to the pair sitting, wet from the splash, under the bridge. 

Alexander's jaw was hung open, whereas Aaron just looked exasperated. 

"Jesus Christ you two! I swear to god, if you pull a stunt like that one more time-" Aaron yelled up, storming out from under the bridge. Alexander timidly followed, unsure what to make of the other two.

He saw another boy, around his age. He had light brown hair, and an adorable freckled face. He was laughing,and the light behind him seemed to make a halo around his head.

Hercules climbed out the river, soaking wet. 

"Oh, hi Aaron, and person whom I don't know, how are you?" He said casually, as if he hadn't just climbed out a river.

Alexander's jaw was still wide open, but now for a different reason, as the other boy approached him. 

"Hi!" The boy said, "My name is John Laurens."

"Alexander Hamilton."

"He's one of the Findley kids, just moved here." Burr interjected. John looked back at Alex, and gave a small smile.

"Well, sorry for kinda soaking you." Hercules laughed.

"It's fine-" Alexander began to say, but Aaron's expression said otherwise.

"You did this on purpose, you knew I was under there! All you do is pick on me." Aaron snapped.

"Awwh, you love us really." John said, putting on an overexaggerated grin.

"No, I don't. Just don't follow me again."

"We genuinely didn't know you were under there-" But Aaron had stormed off before John could finish.

Both John and Hercules turned to Alexander.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." John joked, pushing Alexander's mouth shut. Alexander blinked out of his thoughts, and turned his attention back to both of them, rather than just one.

"So, you've just moved here, right?" Hercules said, finger gunning.

"Yeah, why?" Alexander replied.

"So, we need to give you a tour. You free tomorrow? It is summer break after all."

Alexander's face lit up, he'd found people who actually wanted to hang out with him?

"Yeah, I'm free."

"Great!" Hercules almost yelled, before being shushed by John.

"Don't you think we've caused enough commotion today?" John said, obviously joking.

"John, oh John, there's never enough commotion." Hercules said, crouching down and booping John on the nose.

"Anyway," John turned to Alex. "You better be heading back to the home - Aaron said you lived with at the Findley's home? - anyway, they'll probably be concerned if the "new moody teenager" didn't come home."

"I'm sorry, "new moody teenager"?" Alex asked, surprised.

"They're used to dealing with toddlers and stuff. You must need to be in the city, maybe a foster parent interested in you lives here or something?" 

"How do you even know so much about this?" Alex questioned

John shrugged, "well, they're pretty well known as a group home, so..." He trailed off. "Anyway, it'd be nice to have you stay in the city, I'd love to see you again."

Alex checked his phone, and freaked out a little at the time.

"I should probably head back now. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye!"

"See ya!"

For the first night since the car accident, Alexander slept through the whole night. He was delighted that he had met Aaron and Hercules. And John...

And to think that someone actually wanted to foster him? He felt wanted, and that thought filled his heart with warmth, to combat the heavy cold of loss.

Maybe he could make it.


	3. My shot

"So what do you think of the city?" John asked, taking a bite of his carrot cake. They had stopped at a cafe to grab lunch.

"It's really nice." Alexander confirmed.

The three had quickly become great friends. Laughing and joking at everything. Aaron had joined them at one point, but had left to read his book, presumably under the bridge.

"Does Aaron leave often to read?" Alexander asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't have any friends other than us, but he loves being by himself." Hercules said, through a mouthful of chocolate cookie.

"Dude, please shut your mouth while eating." John said, turning to Hercules. Hercules just shrugged and continued chewing.

"Hey, thanks for today." Alexander said. He was thankful that he had found these amazing people.

"No problem! You wanna meet up again sometime?" John asked.

"Yeah, I would love to." Alexander said, giving John a smile to match his.

"Okay, you two, get a room." Hercules interrupted.

"Anyway, do you have any hobbies? What do you do in your free time?" John asked.

Hercules frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This is how you make small talk, is it not?" 

Hercules sighed, "okay, go on then."

"Well," Alexander said, trying to think of what he liked to do, "I like writing?"

"That's cool, what do you write?" John asked.

"Well, I write essays and stuff. I got chosen for a competition, you know the one where the winner gets a guaranteed job in politics?"

"Wait, you got chosen to participate in that? That means your writings like... Amazing!" 

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, stop being so modest." Hercules put a hand on Alexander's shoulder. "It's amazing that you got chosen for it." 

Alexander just blushed from the praise, and decided to turn the spotlight to someone else.

"What do you guys do in your spare time then?" He asked.

"Well," Hercules explained, "I play football. I'm training for a competition in the fall." 

"I draw stuff, mostly animals." John said.

"John is amazing at drawing, you should see them some time." 

The three bantered on for hours, laughing copiously for an eternity. They had started walking around the city again, showing Alexander the most magical places they could see.

"Are you two free tomorrow?" John asked. Hercules nodded, but Alexander shook his head.

"I'm not I'm afraid, I've got a meeting with a potential foster parent."

"Oh, good luck with that meeting. I'm really sorry for whatever happened to your parents." John said.

"It's okay, I still don't think it's quite sunk in that they're gone, I mean, it was only a week ago," Alexander explained, but Hercules interrupted.

"Only a week? Jesus, Alex, are you okay?" 

"I- I don't know. It wasn't as if I wasn't expecting it - I knew my mother was going to die from illness soon - I just..." He trailed off.

"You're amazing Alex, and we'll always be here when you need it, even if you move away with your new foster family," John reassured. "Here's my number."

John grabbed a pen from his pocket, and, grabbing onto Alex's wrist, scribbled his number onto the back of Alex's hand. Alex tensed slightly at the sudden movement, but he trusted John, despite only knowing him a day.

"Thank you, I'll text you later." Alex smiled, catching John's eye. "Anyway, I should probably get going." 

"Yeah, It's getting quite late," Hercules stated.

"Thanks for everything, I'll see you later."

Turning around, Alexander walked back to his temporary home with the Findleys. He fidgeted with his sweater sleeve, worrying about the meeting tomorrow.

What if he messed it up, and the person didn't want him? But what if he did? What if he got fostered? Would his parents get replaced?

He supposed his parents wouldn't mind being replaced, they were absent or dead after all. 

That thought struck him like a blow to the jaw. His mother was really dead. He wasn't going to see her coming back from grocery shopping, yelling for him and his brother to help put it away. He wouldn't see his brother getting exasperated at Alexander's antics ever again.

He wouldn't see either of them again.

It was now that it finally sunk in, and before he knew it, tears were threatening to fall. 

As he reached the house, he reached up to wipe his eyes. He didn't want the others to see him like this, they were only toddlers!

He creaked open the door to the usual chaos of the household. Toys littered the floor, and everything was a mess. 

"Hey, Alex!" A younger boy greeted him. His name was Philip, and he was by far Alexander's favourite person here. Although he was only 5, he was the kindest person Alex had ever met.

"Hey buddy, nice to see you." Alex replied, not letting his voice betray his emotions.

"I drew you a picture, do you want to see it it?" Philip asked, but before he got an answer, he was dragging Alex down the hall with surprising strength.

He sat down on the floor of a room, and pulled out a messily drawn picture from a pile of papers.

"It's you!"

Alex looked at the picture. He saw a stick man, with a rather big head. He saw the unmistakable ponytail his hair was always in. He tried to speak, but choked up.

"Don't cry Alex! Are you crying because you don't like your picture?" Philip immediately asked. The boys caring nature was evident in his voice, as he reached up and gave Alex a hug.

"No, Philip, your picture is amazing! You're going to be quite the artist one day. It's just... Something else."

Philip nodded, and they were silent for a moment.

"Are you crying because your mommy went to the sky?"

"What do you mean Philip?"

"Mrs Findley said your mommy was dead, and when mommy's die they go to the sky."

Alex leaned down and ruffled Philips hair.

"Yes Philip, my mother's in the sky, with my brother."

Philip nodded. Before grabbing his pencils and paper and starting to draw again.

"Philip? Can I keep this picture?" Alex asked.

Philip turned to the older boy, giving his infamous childish smile.

"Of course you can! I drew it for you!"

"Thank you so much. I'm going to go to bed now Philip, and you should probably go to sleep soon as well."

"Okay, good night Alex!"

Alexander turned, and went up to his room.


	4. Story of tonight

Alexander walked out of his room, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He had dressed in his usual hoodie and jeans. Julia had bought some clothes from Alexander's old home, so he didn't have to wear the exact same thing every day.

The first thing that he saw, was Philip. Philip ran up to him, holding another piece of paper.

"Good morning Philip," Alex yawned. "How are you?"

Philip ignored the question. 

"I drew you another picture! I took a very long time on it this time."

He offered out the paper, and Alex took it. There were three figures scribbled on the paper. The middle one was obviously Alex, as it had the iconic ponytail. The ones on either side were obviously a male and female from Philips perspective. Both of them had angelic wings on either side, or as angelic as a five-year-old can draw.

"It's you and your mommy and brother." 

"Philip? This is beautiful! Thank you, this means a lot to me." 

"I'm happy that this makes you feel better, I'm sorry that you were crying yesterday." 

In truth, Alex had been crying most of the night, but he had calmed himself before he slept. He was surprised no one had heard the sobs, but he had been hiding them.

Suddenly, a loud knock came from the door. Mrs Findley rushed to it and answered. Julia came into the home, presumably to take Alexander to meet his potential new foster parents. 

"Thanks for taking him in at short notice Mrs Findley," Julia said.

"It's no problem, honestly. He's been amazing with the kids." Mrs Findley replied, looking at Alexander with a smile.

"Well Alex, do you want to come along?" 

Alexander nodded, and stepped outside alongside the social worker, as she opened the car door. He climbed in, feeling a tingle of anxiety. His mother had died in a car accident, what if...?

But he swallowed the fears, telling himself that they were idiotic. The chances of an accident happening were slim, but he still fidgeted, biting his lip.

"So Alex, how are you finding the Findleys? Julia asked enthusiastically.

"They're okay."

"It's not to loud, is it? What with all the smaller children."

"No." Alexander said, although the opposite was true.

"How are you feeling, are you excited to meet your potential foster parents?" 

"A little,"

Julia went quiet, obviously figuring out that she wasn't going to get anything more that two word answers out of him.

The car ride was short, as he had been told that the couple lived in the same city that the temporary home was. He was happy that he wouldn't have to leave Aaron, Hercules and John, and would still be able to see Philip on occasion.

Julia pulled up at a small restaurant, where they would be meeting for breakfast. They entered, and saw a couple waiting at a table.

They sat at the table, opposite the couple. Alex was looking at the floor, fidgeting with the sleeve of his hoodie, the way he always does when nervous.

"So Alex, this is Mr and Mrs Washington. I'll be quiet while you get to know eachother." Julia explained.

Alex looked at the two strangers. The man was tall, and looked intimidating to the young boy, despite fidgeting in a similar way to Alex. The woman looked slightly less scary, but she was still a stranger.

Mrs Washington was first to speak.

"Nice to meet you Alex, I'm Martha, and this is my husband, George." She said, holding out her hand for Alex to shake.

"Nice to meet you," Alex replied, "I'm Alex." He took Martha's hand, shaking it.

"So Alex, how are you doing? How's school? You're on break, aren't you?" Martha asked.

"It's okay,"

"Alex has almost straight A's," Julia said, breaking her promise to be quiet, "And he got nominated for the White House writing competition." 

"You did?" George asked. He spoke in a way that made Alex almost immediately trust him, and he suddenly wasn't as intimidating as his first impression.

"Yeah, I did. Politics are pretty interesting, don't you think?"

George nodded in agreement. 

"You have another adopted kid," Julia cut in again, "Don't you?"

"Yeah, we do," Martha confirmed. "He's around your age, I think you'd get along great!" 

The conversation turned more casual, as the three talked about shared interests, and individual ambition. Julia occasionally interfered, when it was getting slow, helping the conversation.

"Alex, it's been almost 2 hours, I think it's time to go back."

Alex looked dejected.

"Okay then, I'd love to see you again Alex." Martha said "I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we'd love to become your foster parents."

Alexander had completely forgotten about that. He'd become so engrossed in the conversation that he'd forgotten why they were even there.

"I'd be happy with that," Alex said, before he could register what that meant. 

"Come along now, Alex. We'll get paperwork sorted between the adults at a later date." Julia ushered Alexander out of the restaurant.

Alex narrowed his eyes at Julia. He loathed being called a child, and being left out of conversations because of his age. Especially when said conversation was impacting him and his future.

He arrived back at the Findleys home with a smile; the day had gone better than he could've ever hoped. But he didn't like having to make the commitment to a family, but he didn't like the fact that the new family would most likely only be temporary.

"Hey Alex! Are you going to leave me?" Philip said, running up to him. "Mr Findley said you might be leaving!"

Alexander looked down at Philip, seeing the boy had puffy eyes, and tear stained cheeks.

"We'll see, Philip. I might have to go, but I'll always come back to visit you." He reassured the younger boy, ruffling his hair.

"Promise?" Philip asked, holding out his pinky finger.

"Promise." Alex wrapped his finger around Philips, promising his return.

Philip seemed to immediately cheer up, reaching up and jumping at Alex. Alexander caught him, lifting him up onto his shoulders.


	5. Schuyler sisters

"So your staying with them? Alex, that's awesome!" John said.

They were back at the bridge where they'd first met, John was stood on the barrier between the bridge and water, Alex was sat on it, and Hercules was stood facing them both.

Alex had just finished telling both of them about the meeting yesterday. He swung his legs, looking up and smiling at John.

"Yup, and I've not even told you the best thing!" 

He waited for a moment to leave them both in suspense.

"I get to stay in the city, I'm starting school here after summer." 

John jumped off the barrier, onto the bridge, and pulled Alex into a hug. Alex blushed at the contact. Hercules joined, and they were all happy to keep the friendship they've made. 

The moment was interrupted however, by Aaron running up to them.

"Guys, thank god your here, I fucked up." 

They broke off the hug, turning to Aaron. Aaron was out of breath, looking like he had run here. He was rubbing the side of his face, where a prominent red mark shone.

"What did you do?" John asked, rolling his eyes.

"I ran into the Schuylers..."

"You tried to flirt with Angelica Schuyler." Hercules deadpanned.

"Well, yeah."

"And she slapped you." 

Aaron looked dejected, "yeah."

"Aaron. Fucking. Burr." A shrill voice yelled.

The group looked at the speaker. It was an older girl, maybe 15 or 16? She wore a dark pink shirt, and denim shorts. Alexander assumed this was Angelica.

She stomped over to wear Burr was standing on the bridge, causing Aaron to look terrified.

"Why do I hear boss music?" Hercules snickered into Alexander's ear, causing him to chuckle.

"You what Burr? Fuck you!" She yelled, and pushed Aaron into the river below. Aaron let out a high pitched scream, but Angelica didn't care. She stormed off.

"You okay?" Alexander called out. Behind him, John and Hercules were bent over laughing, and he couldn't repress his own giggles.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He called back up. Aaron climbed out of the river, dripping water. "That waters freezing."

"Yeah, I know. I jumped in a few days ago, remember?" Hercules shouted back, still laughing his guts out.

"Who's that, over there?" Alexander asked, pointing at two other girls talking to Angelica. One of them looked about there age, wearing a light blue dress. She was scolding angelica, but it looked as if Angelica just laughed it off. The younger one was looking over at a drenched Burr, and laughing.

"Dude, don't even try it." John said, slinging an arm round Alexander's shoulder.

"I literally just wanna know who they are." 

"Okay, okay," John threw his hands up in defeat. "They're the Schuyler sisters, the three most popular girls in the school. Their dad is really rich, and runs a company or something."

"That's who Aaron was trying to flirt with, isn't it?" 

"Unfortunately." Aaron said, marching back up the bridge.

"Anyway, the younger one is Peggy, she's... She has a strong personality. There, the one in the blue? That's Eliza, she is the kindest person you'll ever meet. And you've already met Angelica."

Eliza had started walking over to them, letting the still guffawing Peggy ride on her shoulders.

"Hey, Aaron, are you okay?" Eliza asked, "I'm sorry about my sister."

"Did she really push you in?" Peggy asked Aaron, from on top of Eliza's shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine," Aaron decided to ignore Peggy's question.

She turned to Alexander, and a light blush lit up her cheeks. She seemed to hesitate, glancing at him.

"Hi, I've not seen you around before. I'm Elizabeth Schuyler, but call me Eliza." She said, smile lighting up her face.

"I'm Alex." Alexander replied, confused at the girls behaviour.

"That's a nice name." She said, smile still plastered to her face. She turned back to Burr, "Are you sure you're okay? Angelica can slap quite hard."

"I'll live." Aaron grumbled, putting his hand back up to his face.

"Anyway, Alex, do you and your friends want to come over, and I'll properly introduce you to Angelica?"

Alexander looked behind him to see what his friends thought. Hercules nodded enthusiastically, Aaron also nodded, although more tentative than Hercules.

He looked to John. Johns eyebrows were furrowed, and he was glaring at Eliza. As soon as he realised Alexander saw his glaring, he softened.

"Yeah, we can come over," John stuttered out. He was still glaring at Eliza. Alexander wondered why, wasn't Eliza supposed to be the kindest person they'd ever met? 

Shrugging it off, he followed Eliza to Angelica. Another girl had joined her now. She had dark, curly hair, and a doll-like face.

"Angelica, I'm really sorry about earlier." Aaron said, going up to Angelica and practically grovelling at her feet.

"Oh, hi Eliza, you bought friends?" Angelica cheerfully stated, ignoring Aaron to the best of her ability.

"Yeah I did. You know John and Hercules from my year? And there's also Alexander, he's new here though." Eliza said, somehow still smiling.

Alexander didn't get how the sisters did it. How they all looked so different but had the exact same smile, a smile that lit up their whole face, causing a slight crinkle next to their eye.

"Oh, well then, hi Alexander, I'm Angelica. This girl." She gestured to the curly-haired girl next to her, "Is Theodosia, and you've met my siblings already."

Once again, Alex was struck by the similarities between the two. They were both polite, and well spoken, but had such conflicting personalities: one being kind and light-hearted, the other unafraid and outspoken.

Peggy was another story all together. She acted like an overexcited toddler, despite being 12. Theodosia was quiet, and Alexander couldn't get a grasp on her personality, but she supposed she must be opinionated if she was Angelicas friend.

They sat on a park swing, talking for hours, getting to know eachother. Eliza seemed to latch onto Alexander, tending to his every need and want. Surely someone couldn't be that kind.

John kept glaring at Eliza. Alex was confused, he just wanted them to get along. He hoped he wasn't being too cold to Eliza - she was only trying to help after all. 

After hours of joking and talking, the sisters had to leave. Aaron seemed sad to see them go, and went after Theodosia. Suddenly it was only John, Hercules and Alexander again.

"Alex, Eliza totally likes you." Hercules said, jumping in front of Alexander.

"Wait... What?" 

"Why else would she be practically attached to you elbow?"

"That would explain a lot. Hey, John? Are you okay?" 

Johns fists were clenched. He hadn't moved from his stiff position on the swings, and was still staring after the sisters.

"I've got to go," he said through gritted teeth. Before anyone could even think about stopping him, he had stormed off.


	6. Chapter 6

Alexander and Hercules were left sitting on the swings in silence. 

"Is he okay?" Alex finally asked.

"I don't know, he's never done anything like that before." Hercules said looking at Alex with curiosity.

Alex looked away to avoid eye contact, right at a small boy. The boy looked like he was nervously trying to approach them, but didn't have the nerves to speak to them.

The boy was small, smaller than Alex - and that's saying something - but perhaps it was his hunched posture that made him appear small. He had sandy hair, and a pale, freckled face.

"Alexander Hamilton?" He asked.

"Yeah? Who are you?" 

"Umm, My name is Samuel, Samuel Seabury."

"Are you okay Samuel? We don't bite, much." Hercules joked, but it just seemed to make the boy grow even more nervous.

Samuel stepped forward, taking a deep breath.

"I got told your doing the White House writing competition, and was wondering about your opinions in it." 

"How the hell do you know that?"

But Samuel kept going. It seemed now he had started, he couldn't stop.

"Especially about Congress. Don't you think it would be better to just give the President full power?" 

"Samuel, you're young, you don't know what you're talking about. The president can't have full power, it's in the constitution."

"The constitution that was written hundreds of years ago! When they would do anything to avoid a drop of monarchists. Times have changed" Samuel was getting more distraught.

"Yes, times have changed, we finally have more freedom to elect officials. How do you even know about this, you're like... 7?"

"I'm 12 actually." 

"Which is my point. Look Samuel, you have string opinions, you just need to think about them more." 

Alexander felt bad about debating with such a timid boy, but he couldn't help it when he's beliefs were questioned.

He couldn't help but notice the boy fidgeting with his hands, looking around as if trying to remember what to say next.

"Samuel... Were you told to say this?" 

The boy nodded. Worry filled Alex's chest, who in their right mind would tell someone like Samuel to do their dirty work. Not only was Samuel timid and a pushover, he was terrible at keeping secrets - Alex had just proved that - so was the person that desperate?

As Alexander's mind went to work, thinking of theory after theory, Samuel stood nervously.

"Hey, earth to Hamilton." Hercules called, waving his hand in front of Alexander's face.

"Oh, sorry." Alex snapped out of the trance.

"It's fine, are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He trailed off slightly, "Samuel, who told you to say that?"

Samuel gulped, knowing he wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but he didn't know what else to do with those older boys.

"George Frederick. He's also doing the competition, he thinks that the monarchy should return to America." 

Alexander sighed. "Samuel, there's a reason the revolution happened. I don't know if you've done it in school yet, but pay close attention when you do."

Samuel nodded, then stood there, waiting to be told what to do next.

"Run along home Samuel, and be safe. Okay?"

Samuel turned and ran from the pair. 

Hercules turned to Alexander. 

"Are we really that scary?" Hercules asked jokingly.

Alexander shrugged. "I don't know, but I should probably get back to the home. I don't know when I'm moving in with the Washington's, but it should be soon."

"Okay then, I'll see you later." 

Hercules waved as Alexander walked off. It wasn't a long walk to the home, but it was long enough for his mind to come up with theories to distract him from thinking about his family.

Who was this George Frederick, and how did he get into the competition if he had to use easily influenced children in his campaign? But before he could delve to deeply into the question, he had arrived home. 

Luckily, Philip was eating dinner when he came back, so he didn't have to talk to him. He cared for the boy, but he could be over-endearing sometimes.

He went to his room, and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. He had written John's number on a post-it note, and put the post-it on his desk. Unfortunately, he had dumped most of his stuff on the desk.

He picked up a book that had been bought from his old house, and a slip of paper fell out. He took the paper and turned it over. 

It was a photograph, the last one taken before his dad left. Alex bit his lip, studying the picture. He remembered taking it; it had been an amazing day, for Alexander and his brother at least. 

He only found out later that his parents had taken the siblings to a zoo to distract them from the fighting that was happening all around them. Alexander hated to admit that it worked.

He found the post-it under the book, and typed John's contact into his phone.

//Alex: hey it's Alex, are you okay?//

He had stressed over the text for minutes, trying to figure out the best way to word it. He didn't even know why he cared so much about the wording, or about John.

His phone pinged with a notification.

//John: yeah I'm fine, sorry for worrying you.//

Smiling to himself, he put his phone down, and picked up a book.

He was content reading, until a knock at his door disturbed his piece. It had to be Mr or Mrs Findley, as the toddlers wouldn't knock.

He opened the door, and it was in fact Mrs Findley. Mrs Findley was a nice, but tired person. She was slightly overwhelmed with children, but she loved helping them.

"Hi Mrs Findley."

"Alex, I've told you a million times to call me Faye," she said with a smile. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the paperwork got done unexpectedly fast. If you're happy with it, we'd like to move you in with the Washingtons in two days."

Alex smiled. He really liked the Washingtons. They seemed like good people.

"Yeah, I'm happy with that. Thank you for everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK imma run out of pre-written chapters soon god help me.


	7. You'll be back

George Frederick had moved from England to America several years ago, but some habits die hard. He took his mug of tea over to the couch, slowly sipping it.

He grimaced. Somehow, tea across the Atlantic didn't taste as good as it did in England.

He crossed his legs, sitting on the edge of the cushion, waiting for Samuel to return. 

It's true, he was chosen to be in the competition, but only because his parents paid off some important person. George's parents were wealthy, having come to America for a "new business opportunity". 

In truth, he despised the fact that his parents were so busy. They were hardly ever home. They didn't fight with eachother, but they didn't talk to eachother, just held a stoic indifference.

He missed his childhood home. They were still rich back then, but at least his parents wouldn't mind if he went out to play soccer, or got dirty. Now, he's expected to carry on the family legacy, a task which he didn't sign up for, but had to complete.

He heard a small knock at the door, which was unmistakably Samuel. He had found out through his father that Alexander was also chosen, and entrusted Samuel to switch his views. Even if he didn't win this competition, he wanted his dreams to be implemented.

The younger boy could be quite persuasive, what with his pleading eyes and scared stature. 

He opened the door to see Samuel, tears running down his face, sniffling. He ran at George, wrapping his arms around him. George pushed him away, holding him at arm's length.

"Don't do that, you'll ruin my shirt." 

Samuel nodded, looking up at the unempathetic other.

"What happened, did it all go according to plan?" George asked, walking back to the living room, sitting.

Samuel hastily followed, jogging at George's side. 

"I- It didn't go to plan, I tried, but he shouted a lot."

George sat down again, hitting his head on his hands. Samuel looked at him, and copied his movements.

"Well, Samuel. First of all, get off my couch." Samuel swiftly stood, turning red from embarrassment. "Second, at least you didn't tell them it was me."

Samuel raised his eyebrows, looking off to the side.

"You did." George deadpanned. "Great. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. Best thing ever."

Samuel paled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I won't do it again!" He sputtered out.

"Just get out of my house Samuel." George demanded, pointing at the door.

"But-"

"Out." 

Samuel practically ran out of the door, terrified of the older boy. George closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing.

A few blocks down, Alexander Hamilton was packing his few belongings into a small rucksack.

Although he wasn't leaving until the next day, he wanted to be prepared. He had already packed most of his clothes, but they were barely unpacked in the first place. 

He looked to his desk, trying to figure out if he's forgotten anything, when he saw the pictures Philip had drawn him.

He would miss Philip, and he hoped he could come visit him again. Without hesitation, he grabbed the drawings, neatly folded them, and slipped them into the front pocket of his bag, alongside the photograph of his parents and brother.

He put his bag by his bed, and walked out of his room, deciding to spend some time with Philip before leaving.

He didn't have to look for too long to find the boy. He was sat, tongue out in concentration, playing with a collection of dolls and action figures. Alexander sat himself next to Philip. 

"Hey Philip, can I join the game?"

"Yes! Of course you can! Thank you." Philip shouted, seeming to forget how loud he was. Alexander's smile matched Philips.

Philip handed Alexander an action figure. It was suited in armour, and was probably from some kids show Alexander didn't know.

"This guy is stuck, and this," Philip held up a Barbie doll. "Has to rescue him."

At first, Alex thought the game was childish, but soon became entranced with the storyline Philip came up with. His worries seemed to melt away, as the two played for hours.

Soon enough, Alexander went up to his room once more, and settled down for the night, wondering what tomorrow would bring.


	8. Right hand man

Alexander was sat, waiting for a knock on the door. Philip was sat next to him, almost in his lap, playing with a small toy car.

"You will come visit me again, right?" Philip asked, leaning into Alexander's side.

"Of course I will, I pinky swore it to you." 

"Okay, just... I don't want you to go away too."

Alexander dwelled on those words, remembering what Mrs Findley had told him about Philip. 

Philip came from a house known for domestic violence. It broke his heart to think that such a sweet boy like Philip had to witness fights break out almost every day. His mother had been taken by police for putting his father in hospital, but although his father was seriously injured, he should recover.

Soon, Philip would be back with his father. Alexander just hoped that they would both recover.

Alex was broken from his thoughts by the knock he had been waiting for. He opened the door for Julia, letting her inside the house.

"You ready Alex?" She asked.

Alexander nodded, then turned to Philip.

"I'll see you later, remember my promise I will visit you." He said.

He stepped out the door, and got halfway down the driveway before a weight smashed into his back. It was Philip. He had run down the drive and pulled Alexander into a hug. Alexander ruffled Philips hair.

"I'll see you later Philip, try and be good." 

Julia chuckled at the sight, before splitting the pair up and beckoning Alexander into the awaiting car.

The car ride seemed to last an eternity, but in reality it was only a few short miles. They soon arrived at Alexanders new home.

Alex took a deep breath, and grabbed his rucksack so hard his knuckles turned white. Releasing the breath, he opened the car door.

He looked to the house. Julia was already knocking on the door. As he got out of the car, he hastily looked around, trying to look at everything except the couple emerging from the door.

"Alex, you okay?" Julia asked, noticing the boys distress.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Alexander answered, still not looking at them. Julia walked up to Alex.

"Look, I know you're nervous, but these are very nice people. I'll always be a phone call away if things go south."

Alex nodded, then followed Julia up the drive.

"Hey Alex," Mrs Washington spoke kindly, "Do you want to come inside?" 

He nodded his head, looking up at Julia. Julia smiled encouragingly, gently pushing him inside. 

"Well, I've got to go. I'll let you all get to know eachother. Have a nice day!" Julia said, almost robotically, before turning around and leaving.

Alexander stared after her. This was the second time he had been abandoned with a new family in the last few weeks.

Alex walked in the house after Martha and George ,taking in his surroundings. The house was nice, and they were obviously upper-middle class.

His eyes came to a figure sitting on a couch. He assumed this was the over child he had been told about. The other child turned to welcome them.

"Hi!"

He was unmistakably French.

"This is Lafayette," Martha explained. "We adopted him a few years ago." 

Alex nodded. George ushered him into the room, gesturing for him to sit down. He complied, sinking into the comfortable seat.

"Before we do anything, we'd like to go over some basic house rules." Martha explained. "Then you can see your new room."

Alex nodded, for once in his life, he struggled to form a comprehensible sentence.

"You can go out whenever you want, as long as you let us know, and try not to be out later than 8pm. It's summer break at the moment, but you'll be starting school next school-year. As for grades, we won't bug you about it while you get settled in."

Alex smiled. He was completely fine with that - it was actually ten times better than he was expecting. 

"Thank you." He choked out, after trying to form a decent sentence. There was so much flying through his mind, that he couldn't distinguish between different trains of thought.

"Laf, can you show Alex his room?" George asked. He turned back to Alex, "You can come back down whenever you want, but we'll give you some time to unpack and settle in." 

Lafayette led Alex upstairs, to a door.

"Here's your room." His accent was thick, but easy to make out. "If you need anything, I'm right next door."

"Thank you, sorry for not speaking much back there."

"No need to apologise. I'm sorry, I know it's a little overwhelming." Lafayette said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Alex let out some awkward laughter. Lafayette seemed really nice, and he was lucky to have him.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to get settled." Lafayette said, edging backwards.

Alexander let himself into his new room. It was nice, with a single bed and desk. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling, lighting up the whole room. 

Hamilton walked over to the bed, and layed his bag down. He took out the pictures from Philip, and, smoothing them out, set them on the desk. 

He was glad to have some sort of stability returned to him; it had been a hectic few weeks. He had the hum of conversation below him, and couldn't help but wonder if it was about him.

He really liked these people - George, and Martha, and Lafayette - and didn't want to screw it up by doing something wrong.

He hadn't really thought about school. At least he didn't have to do any summer homework? He sat back down on the bed. It was comfortable, more comfortable than any bed he'd ever seen, or maybe he was just tired.

After a while, he crept back downstairs, watching the three exchange smiles and laughter. It was Lafayette who noticed him standing there, spectating.

"Hey Alex, we're about to play a game, want to join?" He said, alerting the other two to his presence.

"Yeah? What are you playing?" Alexander said, tentatively stepping into the room.

"Well, we've not decided yet, how about you help us pick." 

Alexander chose a spot on an armchair, not wanting to commit to sitting next to anyone. He scanned the pile of games. Until one struck his attention.

"Is that monopoly?" He asked.

"Do you want to play that?" Martha asked.

Alexander didn't say anything, just grinned at her.


	9. A winter's ball

Alexander was walking into the city, intent on seeing his friends. He hadn't seen them for a few days, as he was settling in at his new home.

He really liked it there. Mr and Mrs Washington were nice, and so was Laf, it just... Wasn't the same without his brother James, or even Philip whom he'd gotten attached to in the short period of time they knew eachother.

He couldn't wait to see John and Herc. He had missed their presence in the few days. But he couldn't help but think, where they happy he was gone? Did they secretly laugh at him? 

He shook those thoughts out of his head, deciding to dwell upon them later. He saw the familiar figures, waiting for him on the bridge, where they always meet.

"Alex!" Hercules ran up to him, engulfing him in a hug. John wasn't far behind, cheeks flushed from sprinting to Alexander, or perhaps from something else.

"Hey guys," Alexander greeted. He was let out of Hercules arms, and he turned to face them both.

"How have you been?" He asked. Hercules smirked, looking at John.

"Well, yesterday John decided to climb up the roof of the school, and-"

"And we don't need to talk about that." John Practically yelled, throwing his hand over Hercules mouth in an attempt to shush home. "How is your new home doing Alex?" He said, in an attempt to change the subject.

"It's doing great!" Alex said, still concerned by what could've happened yesterday. "There's another boy, Lafayette?"

"He goes to our school!" Hercules exclaimed. "Moved here about a year ago."

"When does school start again?" Alex asked. He hadn't payed much attention to schooling, to occupied with other situations to put a moment's thought into it.

"Oh, it's not until another few weeks," Hercules said, trying to hastily change the subject from school, "Anyway, I think the Schuylers are coming meeting at a coffee shop later,"

Herc gave Alex a knowing smile, to which Alex warily smiled back. John still looked uncomfortable at the mention of the three sisters, he wondered why.

"Are you going to ask her out?"

"Who?" 

"Eliza obviously. She totally likes you, and she's like, one of the most popular girls in school."

Alexander looked like a deer struck in teh headlights. He hadn't put a single thought into that. Eliza was nice and all, but he didn't like her like that.

"I don't know." Alex decided on saying. He didn't want to disappoint Hercules; he looked ecstatic to be talking about Alexander's potential love life.

"Do you know when Aaron's going to be here?" Alex asked, quickly trying to change the subject. 

As if on cue, a small, metallic ping sounded, signalling that Hercules's phone had a notification. 

"Speak of the devil! Burr ran into the Schuyler's at the really nice cafe downtown, and is wondering if we want to meet there instead."

Alex looked to John, who gave an affirmative nod.

"I'm fine with that, but Alex, can I talk to you for a moment? Herc can go on without us." 

"Yeah, of course." Herc said, and walked off to the cafe.

John turned round, leaning his arms on the bridge, watching the water. Alex mirrored his actions, standing next to him in a blissful moment of silence.

"What's up? What did you want to talk about?" Alex asked, after minutes of deliberation.

"Um..." John started, but hid his head in his hands, trying to hide the light pink that was creeping up his cheeks.

"What is it?" Alex asked, tentatively putting his arm around John's shoulder to comfort him.

In truth, Alex was panicking. He'd never seen his friend act like this before, and, despite having only known him a week, doubted he was often like this.

His train of thought darted around, stopping at every reason that he could think of as why John would want to talk, all of them negative.

After taking a few, shaky breaths, John seemed to gather himself, taking his hands away from his face, and turning his head to face Alex.

"I just- I really, really like you Alex."

"Thanks dude, I like you to," Alex replied, happy for the confirmation that John was not, in fact, plotting against him.

"I mean... I think I love you." 

Wait... What?


	10. Helpless

"I think I love you."

John studied the confused look on Alex's face, terrified that he'd upset him. 

He hadn't told Alex because he didn't want to ruin any potential friendship between the pair, but it had been eating him up for days. He couldn't keep it to himself, but now he'd probably destroyed everything.

Alex's face was unchanged, looking off into the distance with slightly widened, unblinking eyes.

"Alex? I'm sorry!" John stated, voice edging louder with slight panic, starting to back off. "I didn't mean to make things awkward! I'm so sorry, I-"

But he stopped abruptly, as Alex reached forward and grabbed his hand.

Alexander had, for the first time in his short life, been lost for words. He didn't understand how anyone would be... In love with him, let alone someone as amazing as John.

But as he realised that John was backing away, wary of what Alex would think, he knew he had to do something. He couldn't let John think that he had made things awkward between them! He couldn't let John think that he... Didn't... Love him back.

"John! Please! You didn't make things awkward - just don't go." Alex looked up, straight into John eyes.

"I didn't?" 

"No! Not at all!" Alex quickly reassured, pulling John closer to him. "Look, do you really feel like that? It's not a joke or anything?"

"Of course! Why would it be?" 

"I'm sorry, its just-" Alex trailed off, once again unsure of what to say.

"It's fine." John said, understanding the unspoken words between them. "So, uhh, I'll just go now," 

John awkwardly turned, but once again he was stopped. Alex slammed into his back, almost knocking him to the ground, flinging his arms around John's torso.

"For the record, I really like you too." Alexander squeezed tighter, pulling John even deeper into the hug.

"Alex? Sorry to break the mood, but we should probably go, Herc's waiting for us." But Alexander refused to move from his position on John's back.

"Are you just going to stand there? I can't move." 

"I'm comfortable."

John sighed, then slightly bent over, bringing Hamilton with him.

"Jump on." John demanded.

"Sorry?"

John stood, and Alexander finally understood. Having no choice, Alex was lifted off of his feet, and up onto John's back.

Having nowhere to stand, he clung on even tighter to John, repositioning himself to grab onto John's neck. 

"There, that better?" John asked, electing to ignore Alex's spluttering.

The smaller boy rested his head into John's neck, finding comfort in the physical contact. 

Alex soon loosened his grip; the initial fear was wearing off, leaving him to relax in John's company. 

John was careful, the last thing he wanted to do was drop Alexander, but he was surprised at how light the boy was. He knew he wouldn't bring it up, and he doubted that Alex would ever mention it unprompted, but he wondered all the same.

John started walking, causing Alex to visibly tense. Alex bent his leg, and lightly kicked John behind his knee.

"You want down?"

John stopped, allowing Alexander to loosen his grip. Alexander let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when his feet finally hit solid ground.

The couple started walking side by side, smiling and laughing, overjoyed to finally have their feelings returned.

John couldn't help but stare at Alex's smile. He noticed the way his eyes could portray emotion before his body could catch up. He caught sight of every small movement, every display of feeling that he could, because heaven knows that a lifetime wouldn't be long enough to understand Alex's mind.

All John wanted to do was reach out to him, and cherish whatever time they had together. But he was unsure of how Alexander would react.

Alex, however, was thinking no such thing. He was looking to the ground, kicking a rock forward with his foot, or fiddling with random cracks in the wall he was walking beside. 

Every little thing caught his attention, because he knew every little thing had a story to share. He knew every little thing could bring a spark of joy to anyone, and today it just happened to be him.

He was bought out of his train of thought by a soft touch on his hand. 

His mind immediately went blank, as he focused solely on the touch. Was it accidental? It had to be. But as there hands brushed together once more, he knew it couldn't be.

He offered his hand, and John accepted, wrapping his own around Alexander's.

They walked in peace the rest of the way into town, only breaking hands when they came to the café. 

Unsurprisingly, Hercules was already there, alongside Aaron and the four girls.

Theodosia broke out of an intensive discussion with Aaron, and looked up at the newcomers.

"I'm glad you could make it, are you two okay?" She asked, hair falling into her face as she smiled up at them. Alexander couldn't help but notice Aaron's prolonged look at Theo.

"We're fine." John replied, sitting and ushering for Alex to accompany him. Eliza turned, looking over at the pair, and gestured for Angelica and Hercules, who were engrossed in a particularly intense conversation about fashion, to notice the new arrivals.

"We were just waiting for you to arrive," Angelica said. Her confidence was evident in every word she said, immediately grabbing the tables attention from Alex. "Then we were going to get drinks, isn't that right?"

Hercules looked at the pair, with a quizzical look, that soon turned to a deafening smile. He practically leapt over Aaron and Theodosia to get to the pair, leaving both of them looking fairly disgruntled.

"I'm glad you're both here." Hercules looked behind him, at where Angelica and Eliza were talking to the worker behind the counter. "Are you going to-"

"No, Herc. For the last time, he doesn't want to go out with Eliza." John butted in, whisper-yelling surprisingly harsh.

"Okay, okay." Hercules threw his hands up in surrender.

Aaron, who had turned from Theodosia to eavesdrop on the conversation, put his mouth to Hercules's ear and whispered something. His eyes widened

"Wait, are you two-?" Hercules trailed off, looking somewhat proud of Alex and John.

Alex nodded, catching eyes with Aaron. Aaron gave a light smile, obviously not knowing what to say now.

To save them from the awkward silence, Eliza turned up with drinks for all of them.

"Alex, John, I hope you don't mind that I got you what you normally get when we come here. You weren't here when we decided." She said, her usual smile plastering her face.

She placed down the drinks in front of Alex and John, and gracefully say down on the other side of Alex.

Alex took a sip of his coffee, and grimaced a little at the bitter taste. He normally dumped at least 4 sugars into it, but he didn't want to upset Eliza, who was obviously trying her best.

Eliza tried to make conversation with Alex, bringing up every topic under the sun that could possibly interest him. Alexander politely hummed along to the discussion.

He couldn't deny that Eliza was a lovely girl, and she was an amazing friend. But she was nothing more.

Eventually, the group realised that they had bee in the café for longer than an hour, and that they should probably leave. They parted ways, seperating into groups to do their own thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm going to take a short break to stock up on chapters, but I should be back soon. Thanks for everything!


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